The Red Ribbon
by Crystallinee
Summary: Ever since childhood Ino has been in love with Sakura. But her best friend doesn't seem to feel the same way. Or does she? Obstacles are everywhere, but can their love get a way? InoSaku / SakuIno.
1. Chapter 1: Egos And Broken Bonds

**The Red Ribbon**

Since childhood, Ino has been in love with Sakura. But Sakura doesn't seem to feel the same way. Or does she?  
>And to be in love with your best friend isn't easy.<p>

Warnings: This is girlxgirl, friendship/slight romance.  
><span>Pairings:<span> InoxSakura

* * *

><p>There were few memories Ino held so dearly as them she shared with her childhood friend, Sakura. Although it was long ago she still remembered everything they said to each other in the beginning of their friendship.<p>

When they were just kids, sitting on a meadow and picked flowers. Sakura blushed as pink as her hair, looked shyly at Ino with adoration. The blonde smiled at her. _You're going to bloom soon, Sakura. But, still you're just a bud. _

Sakura's wide green eyes in her childish face… _Ino is good at everything. I wish I could be like her. She is amazing…_

And the first time they met, when Ino found Sakura crying. That was the beginning, the beginning of all.

"What are you crying for?" she asked.

"My…forehead… they say it's too big…" she sobbed.

Ino gently poked her forehead. "There's nothing wrong with it. But if you hide it, it looks bigger."

The day after she gave Sakura the ornament of their friendship and their whole story.  
>A red ribbon.<p>

And they became best friends. Every day they went together to the academy and they was inseparable.

But all memories wasn't sweet. One day everything changed.

Ino was talking with some of her friends that afternoon. She was waiting for her best friend to arrive. The sun was shining behind the trees, light glowered and shaped shadows on the ground. Ino was filled with relief when she saw Sakura come running with sparkling eyes and a happy smile on her face.

The blonde was just about to greet her, when Sakura outburst:

"Do you know what? Do you know! I'm in love! _I'm in love!_"

The boys rolled their eyes and laughed a bit. Ino was slightly taken aback, confusion was building up inside of her. Before she had time to react, one of the boys shouted:

"Oh, don't tell me – it's _him._ Uchiha Sasuke, right?"

Sakura looked stunned. "How… did you know?" she asked timidly.

Another boy answered: "Oh, it's so obvious. _Every _girl here is in love with him, right Ino?"

Ino didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. What was this feeling she felt, the new feeling that made her feel so… strange?

The pink-haired didn't hear it. "Yes. Sasuke Uchiha", she said with pure adoration in her voice.

The boys continued to tease her a bit about it - some of them were jealous but tried to hide it - but Sakura was lost in her memories of that cool, black-haired boy she saw at the academy today. She even failed to notice the glare she received from the girls nearby.

But suddenly the shy Sakura were abruptly out of her dreams – when she saw the look on her best friend's face.

**xBxuxBxbxExlx9x7x**

"Ino."

The blonde didn't look at her.

"Ino, don't you hear that I'm talking to you?" Sakura asked innocently.

For three days straight now, ever since the pink-haired had told them about her 'love' to Sasuke, Ino had been ignoring her. Though they were sitting next to each other in the academy classroom, the blonde pretended that Sakura wasn't there.

The pink-haired didn't understand what she had done.

"Please, Ino, tell me, what's wrong? Why won't you answer me?"

There was so much Ino wanted to say. Like: _How can you like _him _more than _me_? Doesn't our friendship mean anything to you?_

But she knew it was stupid. She shouldn't react like that. Why should she be pissed off just because her best friend was in love?

What if she was… jealous? Not of her friend, but of Sasuke. Because he received all of Sakura's attention and adoration.

"Ino, please..."

Ino couldn't confront herself about that. And that was why she remained silent to Sakura's pleas.

"Oh well, Ino", the other suddenly said, sounding sharp. "Keep your pride and your ego to yourself, I don't care."

And with that she turned her back to Ino and ignored her as well.

**xBxuxBxbxExlx9x7x**

Years had passed, and everything was the same. But still so changed.

The shy pink-haired girl that once was a cherry flower bud now was a thorny rose.  
>But Ino had stayed the same and her feelings for Sakura remained.<p>

Now the blonde was sitting on a bench, looking at her former best friend who walked past with new confidence and outgrowth hair. Ino remembered when they had parted for good on that bench, where Sakura tried to return the ribbon Ino had given her and at the same time claimed Sasuke as hers.

Why couldn't Ino suppress her feelings, even now? To barely look at Sakura was overwhelming these days. It made her want to touch that silky long hair so bad, or just hold that slender hand…

And the boy Sakura always had claimed she was in love with also had changed quite a bit. He wasn't the same as when she first saw him. He wasn't that happy, cool, overly confident kid as he had been when they began in the academy. Now Sasuke was a totally different person. He was still handsome in her opinion, but his always apathetic and depressed appearance had bored Sakura. She was longing for love and a best friend, but she couldn't find somebody.

What she didn't know was that the one she sought had already crossed her path long ago.

.

It was a typical day at the academy and the two twelve-year old girls were quarreling as usual.

"Aw, Sakura, do you really think Sasuke-kun will like you if you keep your hair like that?"  
>But at the same time Ino couldn't suppress her inner voice: <em>It looks really nice.<br>_  
>"Oh, shut up Ino-pig. I have a better chance on him than you, anyway." Sakura scowled.<br>_But really, Ino, there's a reason that you're my rival. You look nearly as good as me…_

"Did I hurt your big fat ego, Sakura? Your forehead still looks too big."

_Oh, why can't I stop staring at it?_

"My forehead is perfect", Sakura snorted.

_Exactl- What? Where did she get that confidence from? What if Sasuke really like her?_ Ino wondered, scared at the thought._ I have to find out…_

"Who told you that, _forehead girl?"_

Sakura kept her cool. "Just as you said before. My ego."

… _It would be nice to know that ego-side of her a little bit more… _Ino frowned to conceal what she thought.

"Listen, Ino-pig. We were friends long ago, and therefor I will tell you a secret." Sakura smiled wickedly. "Sasuke-kun smiled at me yesterday. I'm sure he likes me."

_What_…?  
>Ino flinched, the jealousness and possessiveness inside of her came closer to the surface.<p>

In the bench in front of them, Naruto turned around to face them. His interest had been awakened.  
>Ino saw Sasuke two benches below them squirm a bit in disapproval when he perceived the conversation about him. Because even Chouji whose face was buried in his chip bag could tell that Sakura was lying.<p>

_Why?_

Ino just didn't get it. Why would Sakura tell _her, _her foe, about her fake love interest? Sakura knew that Ino wasn't attracted to Sasuke. And truth was, Ino should have been if she wasn't attracted to somebody else…

Was Sakura trying to make her jealous?

Ino's thoughts were abruptly interrupted. "Sakura, Ino, both of you get detention for _once again _talking too much during class time", Iruka scolded.

"But…but…Sensei…" Both of them were appalled.

"You deserve it. Now, keep on working with the exercises."

**xBxuxBxbxExlx9x7x**

"This will be good for both of you. You need to improve your team work…" Iruka trailed off.  
>Sakura refused to look at Ino.<p>

"Why do we have to do this? It's better if we work in the classroom instead", the blonde tried.

"And try to strangle each other? I don't think so", Iruka said. "This is more stimulating. View it like extra training, which both of you are in need of. You just need to find the scroll I've placed somewhere in the woods, bring it to me, and then you can go home."

Sakura frowned. "Veeery easy…"

"Good luck", their teacher smiled and disappeared with a minor smoke cloud.

**.  
><strong>

"I'm tired" Ino complained.

"And I'm annoyed", Sakura said.

They had been walking in the forest for three hours now and they hadn't found anything. Anyhow, Ino was glad to be spending this time with Sakura. Even if they just were walking around in the middle of nowhere.

"I'm hungry", she muttered. "Why do we have to do this?"

Sakura didn't answer. She just sighed, when…

Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath their feet. With a scream, Ino fell down into darkness.

She landed hard on cold stone and groaned when a sudden weight over her back pushed her down again. Ino raised her head and saw only stone around her. They seemed to be in a cave.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked worried. She had landed on Ino's back.

"I…think so", Ino answered. "You?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you." Sakura got off her and the two girls looked up at the ceiling of the cave, where they could see blue sky and trees through the hole they had fallen through.

It was at least ten meters up.

Great.

"Who'd known that we were walking on a roof to this cave", Sakura said.

They stood up, looked around. The cave was rather big, filled only with stones.

"How are we supposed to get back up there?" Ino wondered.

"Can't you think of anything, for once?" Sakura answered.

"Well, I'm not the one that stepped on unsteady ground."

"Yes, you are", Sakura hissed. "It's your fault, Ino."

Ino wasn't angry with Sakura, she never was, but she became more irritated by each second. "I don't wanna be here anymore!" Ino screamed, totally fed up. With a sudden fit of rage, she banged her fist into the rock. A crash was heard, and suddenly heavy stones fell down into the cave.

Ino and Sakura screamed in fear and backed. Ino pushed Sakura out of the way in the last moment, saved her from being crushed by a heavy rock that fell down just in front of them. They drew back against the cave wall until the rain of stones was over.

The silence echoed around them, and it was pitch dark. They realized that they were trapped, they couldn't even see the hole in the roof anymore.

"Why couldn't you restrain yourself for once, Ino?" Sakura hissed, but her voice was filled with horror.

Almost instinctively, the two girls reached for each other's hands in the darkness, as if to make sure that the other was still there.

"It wasn't my fault", Ino defended herself. She noticed how pissed off Sakura was - the pink-haired wanted to put up a fight in the middle of all this…

"Yes it was, Ino-pig", Sakura hissed. "I would never do such a thing. I hope you're happy now."

"I hope you're happy too", Ino answered sourly. "If you're so clever, then go ahead and and take us away from here."

Sakura was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke again, and her voice was totally changed. "I'm sorry, Ino. I didn't mean to… sound so harsh…"

The blonde was taken aback by this. "It's alright", she muttered, tried to conceal how happy she was. Despite this hopeless situation… She let her free hand grope along the wall of the cave, to search for something. Something, anything that could save them.

Meanwhile, Sakura fell to her knees with an audible whimper.

"What's wrong?" Ino wondered. She let her other hand – the one that wasn't groping along the wall - reach out and gently touch Sakura's shoulder. Worried she realized that the other girl was shaking all over.

"Sakura!" she said. Her voice was sharp from concern.

"I'm… fine", Sakura said shakily, although she sounded like she just had been stabbed in her stomach. Ino knelt down beside her.

"I'm just… kind of… I don't like the darkness." Sakura were glad that the lack of light hid her embarrassment. Or… was her blush because of Ino's face, so close to hers?

Suddenly, Ino realized something. "Look!" she exclaimed. "There's a hole here! We can escape!  
>Behind her, Sakura looked up with relief. The blonde started to examine the hole in the cave wall. "It's small… but we have no other choise", she said.<p>

When she got no response, she turned around.  
>"What's wrong, Sakura?" she repeated. "We're close…"<p>

"I can't… I'm claustrophobic", Sakura admitted reluctantly. "I'm gonna panic. Sorry, Ino..."

"It will be alright", Ino comforted. "Please, Sakura. Just crawl in here. I'll go first if you want."

Despite the darkness, Ino knew that Sakura shook her head wildly. "I can't…"

"I know you can." Ino helped her to stand up. The pink-haired was trembling.

"Ino, please… can't we just wait for help?"

"No, I believe in you, Sakura. Look." Ino knew she was taking a risk, but she threw a paper bomb into the hole. The two girls watched the kunai fly in and the attached tag exploded. It wasn't enough to enlarge the hole, but in the short light of the explosion they could see a tunnel.

"Let's do it", Ino said decisively. Actually she was just as scared as Sakura was but somebody had to take the leadership role, or they wouldn't get out alive."Do you want to go before or after me?" she asked.

Sakura hesitated. _I… I have to show Ino that I'm not a coward. I'm not afraid. I can do this._  
>She stared at the hole at waist level. She could barely make it out in the darkness. It seemed to be half a meter in diameter, but that could change later on...<p>

"I'll go first", Sakura announced and suddenly felt brave. She was glad to show Ino that she could handle this. She felt strengthened. And… if something dangerous were waiting later on, she would encounter it first, not Ino.

Sakura swallowed the last of her fear and began to crawl into the dark hole.

The tunnel was long, narrow and rocky. Sakura didn't see a thing; she just kept on crawling further and further. Behind her she could hear – rather than feel - Ino's presence. Sometimes it felt like she was all alone in the darkness. Her hands and knees hurt from all the sharp stones lying over the ground. She prayed silently for not meeting a solid wall – how were they supposed to get back then? Behind her she could hear scraping sounds and ragged breathing when Ino crawled behind her.

"Are you okay, Ino?" she wondered.

"Yes…" Ino gasped. "Aren't we there yet?"

"I don't know", Sakura answered honestly. It took all her courage to not scream and cover her head in pure fear – actually she was afraid of being stuck in narrow places like this. The darkness made everything worse. When a ice-cold drop of water suddenly hit her hand she froze and found herself unable to move.

"Keep on going, Sakura", Ino's voice came from behind her. "I don't wanna be stuck here all day."

The pink-haired began to tremble again. "It's so dark… what if we never find the way out, Ino?"

Her friend was quiet for a moment and Sakura was scared beyond all words.

"INO!"

"I'm right here, calm down Sakura." The blonde reached out and grabbed her friend's trembling wrist. "We will get through this."

The other girl nodded decisively.

Suddenly a rumble was heard behind them.  
>"What's happening?" Ino wondered. Now fear could be heard in her voice too.<p>

"A rock fall", Sakura whispered, wide-eyed. They began to crawl even faster and suddenly Sakura could see light far in front of her.

"Ino", she gasped. "I see it – the way out! It's there!"

In the faint light she could see that her hands were covered in blood from the sharp stones. When she turned her head she could see that Ino was in great pain.

"Come on, Ino. We're almost there", she encouraged. The blonde nodded but she looked like she was going to faint.

Suddenly the tunnel widened and Sakura was almost blinded from the sudden light. She crawled out of the long passage and helped Ino. They were back in the forest, in an open meadow.

When their eyes were accustomed to the sunlight, they looked each other over. Both of them were filthy and covered with soil. Their hands and knees were bloody.

But they had made it. Together.

"We made it", Ino said, smiling despite her aching limbs. Sakura nodded. Suddenly she frowned.

"But we still haven't found the scroll we should have given Iruka-sensei."

**xBxuxBxbxExlx9x7x**

Ino dreamed a beautiful dream that night. It was exactly that – beautiful. It was more special than she ever had dreamt before and when she awoke, she knew what she would do.

In the dream she and Sakura were walking together on a gravel path, holding hands. Around them majestic sakura trees were sweeping their branches and showered the two girls in pink flowers that fell down around them.

Sakura's eyes were gleaming as jade, she smiled happily as the flowers mixed with her equally colored hair. She turned towards Ino, smiled and said: "_Now can I bloom, Ino, thanks to you. I'm not a bud anymore. I'm your flower._"

.

Ino was searching for Sakura. It felt odd – now she was on the place where they first had met six years ago. It was late afternoon two days after the forest accident. She had decided what to do.

Suddenly she saw a girl sitting on a bench with a red piece of fabric in her hand.

Ino slowly walked up to her. She saw the wind ruffle Sakura's hair, saw that she hang her head low. She saw a glistening tear running down the pink-haired's cheek and Ino remembered again.

"_Hi, who are you?"_

"_I'm… Sakura." The girl looked shyly up at Ino, hiding her forehead behind her pink bangs. Her emerald eyes were glistening with tears. _

_Ino smiled friendly. "And I'm Ino. Do you wanna play with me?"_

_The girl nodded astonished._

"_But what are you crying for?"_

Ino stood behind Sakura. "What are you crying for?"

Her friend turned around, her eyes was wide and teary.

"Ino… I don't know why I'm telling you this, but…" Sakura was overwhelmed by a trembling sob. "Sasuke-kun turned me down again. I don't think he will ever look at me."

_Can't she realize how wrong he is for her?_ Ino wondered.

"Sakura", she said, "I wan't to be honest with you. I'm not saying this because I want to hurt you but... it's time that you open your eyes to them that _really _care about you."

"What do you mean?"

Ino took a deep breath. "I just want to say that I'm sorry, Sakura. We still could have been best friends today if I hadn't been such a… ego."

The pink-haired girl laughed a bit despite her tears. "It surprise me that you say that… actually I'm the one with a big ego, they say…"

"Sakura", the blonde continued, "when you said that you was 'in love' with Sasuke long ago, I didn't know how to react. I felt so hurt, left alone… jealous. It's true. And the reason I ignored you and treated you like that, was because I think you focused on the wrong people. I just didn't want to lose you…" Ino sat down on the bench next to her friend.

Sakura were wide-eyed and shocked. Did Ino feel that way?

She looked at the blonde. "In that case… It's time for me to apologize as well", she said in a low voice.  
>Ino looked at her, surprised.<p>

"Gomenasai, Ino. I never meant to hurt you with my foolish obsession for Sasuke. I never was in love; I just thought he was the person I needed… when the one I really needed was at my side all the time." Sakura met her friend's astonished gaze. "I thought I never needed a friend, but now I know better", she smiled.

"It's alright, Sakura. You don't need to say more", Ino mumbled and nearly drowned in the other's emerald eyes.

Suddenly the pink-haired hugged her friend tightly. Ino hugged her back. It felt like back then when they were practically inseparable.

"Let's forget the past and move on", Sakura said. "Now I know where I belong."

They pulled back and smiled at each other. Ino took Sakura's hand.

"I love you, forehead-girl."

"…I love you too, Ino-pig."

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

**Author's Note: How was it? I'm planning to add more chapters, so stay tuned! Reviews are very much appreciated!  
><strong>

**And if you have suggestions for the plot, feel free to tell me. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Greenhouse Love

**Chapter 2: "Cherry Blossom, Greenhouse Love"**

* * *

><p>"Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, what is this supposed to mean? You'll graduate from the academy in a week, and none of you were able to bring me the scroll I told you to?" Their teacher was upset.<p>

"But it wasn't easy at all!" Ino complained where she was sitting in the bench next to Sakura. The class was over for today, but Iruka had asked the two of them to stay for some minutes.

"We fell down in a cave and got lost, and lot of things happened…" She glanced at Sakura. The pink-haired met her gaze with confidence. _A lot happened… with us._

It was amazing how fast everything had went back to normal. As before Sakura got the idea that she was 'in love' with Sasuke. It pleased Ino to see that she didn't even look at him anymore.

"Yes, we wandered around in that damn forest for hours!" Sakura complained.

Iruka sighed. "Well, then I have no choice but to…"

"No! Please let us graduate, sensei!" the pink-haired exclaimed.

"I'll give you extra homework instead. And you better do it."

"Sensei, you know that we always do our exercises!" she tried.

Iruka just walked away. Sakura sighed. "What did I do wrong, Ino?" she wondered dispirited.

Ino shrugged. "It wasn't your fault. Let's do the stupid homework together after school."

Sakura nodded, looking happy again.

**~xxxxxxxxxx~**

The sun shone over Konoha's streets as the two friends walked home together.

They were _together_, finally. Just the two of them. Ino smiled at Sakura and took her hand as they walked.  
>The pink-haired looked surprised at first but then she decided to ignore the other people on the street. She smiled widely back and squeezed Ino's hand. And so they got to Sakura's home.<p>

Sakura's mother, a smiling woman with dark pink hair greeted Ino as if nothing had happened, as if they had been best friends all the time for the six past years, not rivals.

"Welcome, Ino!" she exclaimed happily and hugged her.

"Hi, mrs Haruno. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! How are you and your family?"

"Stop it, mom", Sakura muttered. "We'll be at my room, don't bother us."

"Okay, darling! I'm coming up with some snack to you later!"

The younger pink-haired just rolled her eyes and dragged her friend with her up the stairs. "Don't bother her, she's… enthusiastic."

Ino laughed. "At least more happy than my mom."

They decided to begin with the homework at once. It was a heavy pile that Iruka had given them to make up for their failed scroll exercise. At first they were just laughing and talking but their dutiful side got the best of them and soon they were studying busily.

After a while of concentrated silence, Ino looked up at Sakura. Suddenly she felt her heart begin to beat faster.  
>The blonde couldn't take her eyes off her friend; Ino's gaze was glued to that silky, pink hair that fell over Sakura's face as her soft, fair hands carefully wrote down every answer.<p>

"Sakura… I know this is wrong", she whispered, a delicate blush adorning her cheeks.

Her friend looked up at her with big, questioning green eyes. Ino gave her no chance to ask what she meant; she gently reached out and touched Sakura's face. The pink-haired gasped and her cheeks began to heat.

"Ino…"

The blonde couldn't help but to reach out and gently caress her face again. Sakura closed her eyes in silent approval. "I know, too…" she answered, "but it doesn't matter, now."

And ever so slowly their faces came closer to each other. Sakura opened her eyes. She could see the spark in Ino's eyes, the spark of love and adoration. That was enough…

Ino's hands rose as of themselves and she gently placed them around Sakura's face. Slowly their lips connected.  
>The kiss was so soft, so tender and sweet. Sakura could feel the taste of her best friend in that kiss and the blonde could taste the flavor of the cherry flower in it.<p>

When they broke apart for a moment Ino whispered: "I don't care that it's wrong. I love you, Sakura."

The pink-haired answered by pulling Ino's face close to her again, and they kissed again. This time it became more intense and they could feel their love floating around them.

When they finally let themselves breath again Sakura hugged her friend tightly, looking into her clear green eyes.

"I love you too", she said, placing a tender kiss on the blonde's cheeks and nose.

Ino didn't know what she was doing. She just wanted more of her friend. She gently pushed Sakura up against the wall and began to kiss her intensely, entangling her hands in her hair. The other girl immediately returned the kiss and their lips continued to mold so delicately. They felt their pulsating heart beats all over their bodies as they continued to make out with more passion than ever before.  
>How could it feel so right, when it was supposed to be wrong? They were both girls!<p>

Suddenly a bright voice called: "Sakura, I'm coming in…"

None of them had time to react before the door was pushed open. Sakura's mother came into the room with a tray in her hands. Ino barely had time to release her gently grip in her friend's hair.

The girls' eyes widened in horror the few seconds before it was over.

Porcelain was cracked and food was scattered on the floor. Sakura's mother dropped the tray with a gasp of shock.

In front of her, her daughter and her daughter's best friend were standing, pressed tightly against each other with rosy cheeks in a very obvious way.

_~'Cause the walls burned up when our love fell down  
>And it turned into whatever now we're saying never.<em>

_Feel the fire 'cause it's all around and it's burning for forever and always  
><em>

"SAKURA, WHAT'S THIS? God-"

Screams. Gasps. More screams. And a long tirade of angry, frightened and outraged words.

Ino remembered that they were violently separated by Sakura's parents. Sakura's mother hissed to her: "Leave, right _now_. Get out of my house and NEVER come back!"

Sakura was just as upset, she screamed to her parents about how much she hated them for doing this.

_~Watch it all falling to the ground_

Ino didn't remember everything that happened there. But one thing was burned to her mind - Sakura's teary gaze that short second before the front door was slammed shut in front of Ino's face and she was forced out of her friend's house.

That was the last thing she saw of Sakura for a long time.

_~Feel the fire 'cause it's all around_

_No happy ever after, just disaster_

_**~xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx~**  
><em>

Ino watered her flowers without even knowing that she was doing it. It had become a routine, a daily pattern she followed intensively. It was her way of dealing with life.

She couldn't think anymore. She couldn't think about anything that wasn't Sakura. But she tried, oh she had tried so hard to forget and _overcome. _Just as Ino's parents had told her that day when Sakura's mother called them and told them everything.

Their reaction was just as Ino had expected, as she had feared.  
><em>"We never thought this could happen you, Ino. We are so disappointed with you and <em>sad._ Forget about this nonsense already. We don't want to hear a single word about this ever again. Is it understood?"_

Ino tried to hold back the sudden flow of pain inside of her that always came when thinking about _her._ How long would this torment last? _Weeks _had passed, and they hadn't seen each other at all.

They had graduated from the academy only days after the _disaster _– as he had heard Sakura's mother call it – and ever after they had been separated to two different teams. From now on they went on missions or training sessions with their respective team all the time. The academy days were over.

_~Never thought it would end, but you got up in my head and my head like that.  
>You made me happy baby, love is crazy, so amazing<br>But it's changing, rearranging.  
><em>_I don't think I can take anymore._

Never once Ino had had a chance to talk to Sakura. She only saw a glimpse of her the other day, that shiny pink hair bouncing up and down as she walked away with the rest of Team 7. Ino had stayed where she was, with her team.

The blonde girl looked like she was busy with the flowers at the counter in front of her, but her mind was far away. To a sunny meadow in summer's light, two little girls sitting beside each other and talking.

During the short time they had together before their parents found out, Ino used to bring in fresh cherry flowers to the florist shop. Now she only sold cactuses and other scratchy or even poisonous plants when it was her turn to be in the shop. It was the only thing that didn't bring up painful memories of her own flower.

A customer walked into the little shop. As always Ino faked a smile and tried to be polite and happy as if nothing was wrong. But for real she didn't see the people in front of her. She only thought about one thing – one person.

As in a daze she received the money from the customer. She didn't even know what she – or he – had bought.  
>A painful familiar scent reached Ino's nose when the customer opened the door and left the shop. She tried to bury her memories before somebody noticed. The blonde turned away from the counter and stared into the wall.<p>

That smell… fresh cherry flowers…

"Excuse me, can you help me?" an old lady asked slightly annoyed. Ino automatically turned around and apologized with her best smile and helped her pick some flowers. First when the lady had left the shop she noticed the little bunch of flowers on the counter.

It was a small bouquet of cherry flowers tied together with some strands of pink hair. A small piece of folded paper was attached. With wide eyes and trembling hands Ino unfolded it.

_Meet me later in the greenhouse  
>Forever yours<em>

Ino knew all too well who the sender was. With or without the lovely pink hair, she knew the hand writing, the smell. Suddenly the air became easier to breath. _Sakura! You're so smart... you managed to contact me despite all prohibits..._

The other people in the store looked surprised at her. No one could understand why the shop assistant suddenly got a light in her eyes again and why she grinned from ear to ear when she served the next customer.

**~xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx~**

"Mom, I'll just go to the hospital, I forgot my bag there", Sakura lied as she walked out through the door.

"Okay darling, but hurry up!"

The past weeks Sakura had been helping out at the hospital on her free time. It wasn't to get some extra money, she wanted to occupy herself and her thoughts and her parents liked it as well. Nothing else was accepted anymore – she was barely allowed to leave the house for attending missions with her team and doing her extra job.

_~I've been through it, I've been through all the agony  
>And now my eyes are, trying, trying, no more crying, lying's just a game<br>_

Sakura's parents always were suspicious. She couldn't leave the house with the excuse "I'm going to visit a friend" or "I'm going to the store" anymore because her parents would immediately connect that with Ino and throw a fit.

Now the pink-haired was walking down the streets hurriedly, tension building in her body. Would Ino understand her message and meet her?

The village's greenhouse was a large glass building where herbs and sensitive plants were cultivated during winter. At the summer it was merely used as a beautiful garden. High palm trees and bushes grew in there and it was one of Sakura's favorite places to go.

When she entered she eagerly looked for her best friend. It wasn't hard though – Ino knew where she liked to be. Sakura had merely lifted a palm leaf out of her way when she spotted her. The blonde saw her as well; she was sitting on a hidden bench behind some low cacao trees.

She rushed over to her, her face flushing with sudden joy. "Sakura!"

That was all it took. Sakura threw herself at her in the same moment, and they collided softly, embraced each other tightly. They rested their foreheads against each other's, stared into each other's eyes in pure joy.

"Ino!" Sakura gasped. "You came!"

"Sakura, I'm so glad to see you, are you all right?" Ino took a gentle but firm hold of her hand.

"I've missed you so much", Sakura hugged Iher friend tightly again. "I love you."

Ino kissed her neck gently as she returned the hug. "I love you too, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

Sakura shook her head with force. "Ino, I'm…"

Ino interrupted her by kissing her lips softly. Once again, she breathed the wonderful scent of sakura flowes, that she'd missed so much.

"I'm sorry", Sakura whispered. "For everything, Ino. I wasn't allowed to see you, but I should have…"

Ino nuzzled her face kissing every inch of skin she could reach. "Don't say anymore, Sakura." Sakura couldn't help but suddenly her eyes overflowed with tears.

"What's wrong?" Ino wondered, worried.

"It's just that… how can we get a future together, Ino? When everybody says that this is wrong?"

Ino shook her head. "Let's not think about that. They can't tear us apart in the end, you know."

Sakura searched for something in her pocket. Ino watched as she picked something very familiar up and held it in front of her.

"Ino. I've kept this all the time, because it reminded me of you when I was sad. I know that nothing can separate us. We swore our friendship on this, do you remember?"

The blonde nodded. "I remember, Sakura. How can I ever forget something about you?" The pink-haired turned around and removed her forehead protector. She gestured to Ino to go ahead.

Ino smiled and gently tied that soft, thick hair up. Sakura turned around again.

"How do I look?" she said with glittering eyes.

"Too beautiful", Ino answered honestly and gently flicked her exposed forehead. "Your forehead looks better when you're not covering it", she advised.

"Thanks, Ino. Do you know how much this mean?" Sakura asked, looking at her.

"Finally, you've blossomed, Sakura." The pink-haired hugged her friend affectionately. Ino smiled. Everything felt exactly like before, they were like before. Ino and Sakura, best friends forever and always. And Sakura wore something that would never change.

The red ribbon.

.

_~So disaster strikes and I'm all right cuz my love's on her way_

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><p><strong>It's finally done! Excuse that things may happen a bit fast... <strong>

**Please tell me if you liked it and if you want me to write more about them.**  
><strong>The song lyrics is from Jojo's song "Disaster". Reviews are appreciated!<br>**


	3. Chapter 3: Forever

_**Author's Note: **_**The only reason I decided to continue this was because of your lovely reviews. But when I started I realized that there were still things that needed to be told and I became thoroughly engaged with the story. :)**  
><strong> So this chapter is dedicated to <em>you<em> who read this!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3: Forever<strong>  
><em>

_Sakura… this world is so wrong. From the first moment in our lives, people are trying to make us what we are expected to be. For a girl in our age… there is no other way than get a boyfriend and carry on, suppress all other possibilities. There is a fear among all of us, the fear of being one of _them_, not falling for somebody of __the __opposite sex._

_Don't you think it's strange? Our parents thought the same when they found out. Our clans were stained, ashamed. But love is love, I truly believe that. It doesn't matter if it isn't always straight, sometimes it goes different ways. _

_They tried to separate us._

_But they couldn't._

Ino looked at Sakura again. She was thankful that they got this time to be together, even among people.  
>The pink-haired smiled back at Ino and discreetly took hold of her hand.<p>

In front of them were their comrades walking. Naruto walked beside Sasuke, disturbed by the latter as usual. Shikamaru was just as expressionless as the Uchiha and Choji was busy with eating. Kakashi led the way, reading one of his M rated books. It was a quite normal sight, except that he was leading a bigger team this time. Asuma had to attend a meeting with the Hokage and had left his students in Kakashi's care for this mission. The girls were very happy about that.

The mission had gone smoothly; even Naruto's clumsiness was made up for by the two geniuses among them. The six teens had worked well together. Ino had hurt her shoulder, though. It hadn't been remarkable but now it started to really hurt.

"Ouch!" The blonde girl looked at her wounded shoulder again.

"Let me see", Sakura mumbled and stopped. She examined her friend's shoulder.

"Does it hurt?" she asked as she placed her hands over the wound. "Just relax, I'll heal it." Sakura felt the familiar heat ooze off her hands as she let the energy flow. Ino could feel the pain in her wound slowly disappear and be replaced by warmth.

"Thanks, Sakura. It was a good choice, for both of us, to learn medical ninjutsu. But I will never be as good as you."

"Don't say that", her friend laughed. "I also have a long way to go."

Sakura's laughter was so beautiful to Ino and she found herself staring wonderingly at the other girl.

The pink-haired immediately noticed her dazzled gaze. "What are you staring at?" she asked a bit embarrassed, shifting her weight uncomfortably. A blush adorned her cheeks.

Ino stood up and moved Sakura's hands from her shoulder so she could hug her.

"You, whom else? And you must have been staring at me as well in order to notice it", the blonde smirked. The other's blush increased and let her know that she was right. Ino hugged her friend tighter. Was Sakura like an open book to everyone or was it just because she knew her so well?

_We've been together for almost two years now, _Ino thought. _How it lasted so long… we fight sometimes but we always end up laughing. _

After their meeting in the greenhouse, they had gone straight to their parents. Sakura had finally stood up for Ino. She had told her parents that they would have to accept her choice or she wouldn't live at home anymore. It was a hard moment, many tears were shed. But when the friends walked from there a while later a new light was shining in their eyes. They were walking hand-in-hand, sharing a smile.

Sakura's parents were standing far behind them, not knowing how to react. Sakura's mother had cried a bit but her glare soon turned into something else.

Maybe she one day would be able to accept that her only daughter had fallen for another girl.

Ino's parents were easier to handle. That anger they showed when they first got to know had changed. Inoichi was open-minded and didn't even become angry. He calmed Ino's mother and both of them hugged Sakura, welcoming her.

As the girls left Konoha's center behind them Sakura had broken down and cried.

"I can't understand… that they actually would accept it", she sobbed. "That they wouldn't try to separate us anymore…" Suddenly she had stopped. "I'm sorry, Ino… I know I must sound ridiculous, sobbing like this…"

Ino had hugged her tenderly. Sakura's slender shoulders were trembling.

"Sakura. To be able to cry when something upset you… it's strength. Not everybody can get their feelings out so easily; it often hurts them instead."

The pink-haired had looked up at her with big eyes.

"So, how can you ever be ridiculous? I actually…." Ino kissed her friend's forehead. "…think you're beautiful when you cry. You're always beautiful but…"

Sakura had laughed a bit. "I think I understand", she smiled. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck. "I'm just so happy that we finally can be together in public", she said. "I love you, Ino."

Ino smiled at the memory. That day had been wonderful. Two years had passed and many things had changed but not their love. The weeks they were separated had been cruel, but they made it through despite everything.

But there were some things Ino feared. She adored the time she spent with Sakura, but she always lived in the future. How couldn't she, when everything was so fragile? Even the strongest of loves can be over in a moment, if the wrong thing happens.

Sometimes it annoyed her. Sakura only lived in the presence. She enjoyed every day as it was, and that was Ino happy for, but the pink-haired didn't seem to think about the future at all. Ino always thought forward in time, afraid of what might happen to them. She knew how fast everything could change.

Her greatest fear was that Sakura might find a boy that she was interested in and abandon Ino. The blonde still clearly remembered the childhood years Sakura had spent chasing after Sasuke. Sasuke who didn't show her a ounce of interest or affection.

She thought about this as they walked into the village, squeezing her friend's hand.

"Why are you so down today?" Sakura asked and examined her friend. "Is there something wrong, Ino?"

Ino looked at her blatantly. She pushed aside the thoughts of the pink-haired's beauty and spoke up:  
>"Sakura, I know this is sudden… but I need to know if you're really serious with our relationship. I mean…"<p>

That was something that had haunted Ino for the past months, the fear of having to watch it fall apart. If Sakura left her… she couldn't think about it.

The other girl looked upset. She dragged her friend to a park bench and they sat down. "Of course I'm serious, Ino, how couldn't I?"

"I do not doubt you at all… but…." The blonde sighed. "This is not going to be easy. The older we get, the harder it will be. We – you – won't get an ordinary life. Not an ordinary wedding and a husband." She took a deep breath. Now to the hardest thing to say. "And… if you're with me, you can't have kids in the future, Sakura. I cannot give you that."

The pink-haired was surprisingly calm. With rosy cheeks, just as lively as before she reached out and placed her arms around Ino's neck.

"Who said it's going to be easy? All I know is that it's going to be worth it, Ino. After all, I love you."

Ino was disbelieving. "Would you really sacrifice that much for my sake?"

"I thought that was discussion was finished. You know I would, without hesitation. And you always think of me first", the other girl remarked. "What about yourself?"

"Sakura", the blonde almost hissed, "all I want, all I need in my life is you. When will you understand?"

The pink-haired laughed a bit. "Then you and I think the same."

Some other girls walked past them. They were the same girls that used to bully Sakura for her big forehead in the academy before Ino made them stop.

They glared at the two friends. "Oh, isn't it forehead-girl? Do you have to be together with that stupid blonde all the time so the bad ones don't _hurt_ you?"

Before Ino had time to react, Sakura stood up. "Don't insult my friend!" she said.

She was answered by mean snickers and laughter. "Trying to be cool, huh? It doesn't work, Pinkie-Pie, take a look in the mirror! If you have one…" the girls laughed.

Ino stood up, glaring at them. "Sakura, let's go."

The leader among the girls smiled scornfully at them. "The two losers get along well. Disgusting lesbians!"

_Does she know about us? _Ino wondered shocked. The next second she gasped.

Something had darkened in Sakura's gaze. None of them saw what she was going to do until she swiftly moved forward and punched the leader in her stomach. Hard.

The other girl screamed and gasped for air. She backed. "What the hell!"

Angry tears were streaming down Sakura's face. She looked so upset that the other girls instinctively backed away.  
>"<em>Shut up!<em>" Sakura roared to them. "You don't know a thing...!"

Ino was startled. She knew that her friend had quite a temperament but this she had never expected of her.

The other girls ran away, screaming nasty words. Sakura was left and the anger seemed to vanish. Silent tears ran down her face. Ino stepped over to her, touching her arm.

"Forget about them."

"I know", Sakura said. "I'm not sad about what they said. I'm sad about how stupid people there are."

**xxxxxxxx**

Ino looked at the roses in the flower store. She had decided to buy flowers to Sakura to celebrate their second anniversary. Which one was best suited for her friend?

Sakura always received pink flowers. Her best friend wanted to give her something else.

Ino finally caught sight of the perfect gift for their anniversary. It was a magnificent red rose with velvety leaves and a green stem with dull thorns. Some crystal-like water drops from the last watering was embedded among the leaves. The blood red leaves had a slight shade of dark purple.

Ino smiled. It was perfect.

Soon she was standing in front of Sakura's house. Her friend rushed out and hugged her tightly. "Ino!" Her eyes widened when she got sight of what the other was holding.

"Do you remember this?" Ino asked and held out the rose to the pink-haired. Sakura beamed. Her emerald eyes shone bright.

"That time…"

A memory from before their true feelings were revealed surfaced. They were just kids in the academy and Sakura still lived in a misconception.

**xxx**

Ino looked at Sakura. She had done it the whole day but the pink-haired never seemed to notice her. They were free from the academy today and Ino sat on a hidden bench and looked at her friend.

How she longed to be beside Sakura right now, how she longed to help her out! The memories were fresh in her mind; she remembered how they had been inseparable when they first met.

Just the two of them. As it was meant to be.

But that day when Sakura said "I'm in love with Sasuke", everything changed. Ino frowned where she sat. She couldn't get it over with.

In her heart were all their memories living, strong and colorful. Every single moment they had together, she and Sakura. That day when she found her crying, Ino had cheered her up. Sakura had looked up to her, trusting Ino. Ino had helped that shy rose to be able to bloom.

Everything had been so damn perfect. She had thought that nothing could bring them apart. Ino would defend her against all bullies. But then something as stupid as a foolish, empty crush had come between. Sakura was so blinded.

And now Ino was sitting here. She knew she should go home, but she couldn't get herself to leave. She looked at her friend, not able to tear her eyes off her. The eight-year-old girl couldn't forget.

Sakura's childish face was eager. In the clear sunlight she ran around on the soft grass and collected something. The blonde already knew what she was doing. Ino had showed Sakura some weeks earlier how to pick flowers properly. It was that time when she said that her friend was still a bud. Ino had paid back to some girls who used to bully Sakura and they never bothered the pink-haired again.

Now the blonde wanted to walk over and show her friend how she was supposed to do. Ino used to help her mother in the flower shop so she was an expert when it came to flowers. But she could guess who was going to receive the flowers in Sakura's little hand and that saddened her deeply.

The object of Sakura's adoration never looked at her. But still Ino was happy for Sakura's sake right now, seeing the joy beam from her and her face bathe in sunlight.

"Let's see..." Sakura mumbled. "A cosmos flower... it will be perfect. What did she say...?"

Ino flinched. Was she talking about her?

"The flowers must accompany and complete each other in the bouquet..."

The blonde felt her heart beat faster. Sakura was reciting the words Ino had told her long ago.

"That must be it!" the pink-haired stated happily. She picked some clear pink cosmos flowers and held them together with some white, smaller flowers in her hand.

"He's going to love this..."

Ino felt a wave of sadness crash upon her. She knew it. She had known it all the time and the bitterness made its way to her heart. A small part of her had hoped that the flowers were to her. But at the same time she had known that they were to somebody else.

It was indeed a beautiful bouquet Sakura was holding. The pink flowers matched her hair perfectly. Ino had wanted to give her some advices how to improve it but she didn't want to anymore. Why help it make it good for somebody else when _she _wanted to receive Sakura's sign of affection?

The pink-haired girl looked pleasured with the result in her hands. She hurried away from the meadow, practically beaming with joy and anticipation. Ino couldn't keep her curiousness in check so she silently followed her friend out of the forest and back to the village.

It didn't take long until Sakura found Sasuke. Ino tried to hold back her sudden jealousness and stayed hidden.

"Sasuke-kun!" the pink-haired exclaimed happily.

The Uchiha prodigy looked at her expressionlessly. "What do you want?" he stated irritated. "I'm going out to train with my brother, make it quick."

Ino saw that Sakura blushed a bit and hid her hands behind her back.

"Ehm... Sasuke-kun... I..."

She was embarrassed and hesitating. "I... picked some flowers for you, Sasuke-kun..." She finally held up the bouquet in front of him. Her eyes were pleadingly seeking acceptance, a confirmation.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in annoyance, hardly looking at her. "No thanks."

"But, Sasu-"

"If you haven't anything important to say, I'm going now."

He turned his back against her and walked away. Ino wanted to punch him. That rude brat…

The blonde turned her gaze towards her friend. Sakura wilted and her whole body seemed to droop, just as the flowers in her hands. She lowered her head and Ino could see that she was crying.

Just when the blonde was going to step over to her and comfort her, Sakura moved. She threw the flowers at the ground and rushed away, sobbing.

The other girl exited her hiding place. First when she was standing at the abandoned flowers she knew what she would do.

All the memories, the faded light around them, reminded her. She was alone now; the all too strong feelings had brought them apart. She had to get it back. Even though she and Sakura weren't friends anymore.

.

Ino knew how to arrange flowers in the most gorgeous way. The bouquet in her hands was practically shining. She had asked her mom for help to choose the best flowers.

"Who is going to get it, Ino?" her mother asked.

"...A very special friend."

The next day in school Sakura looked really somber. Sasuke didn't even look at her. When the class was dismissed Ino set to work. On her way home she stopped her friend.

"Sakura?" she said kindly and grabbed the other's shoulder lightly. The pink-haired turned around and looked at her with sorrow-filled eyes. Ino smiled and held up the bouquet.

Sakura looked shocked.

"This is for you, Sakura." The blonde girl smiled widely at her friend.

The pink-haired looked at her with big eyes.

"Well...?" Ino inquired when the other remained silent.

Sakura's big eyes teared up. "Ino..."

"Just take it already", the blonde said kindly. Her eyes widened when she suddenly was glomped by her shy friend.

Sakura had wrapped her arms around Ino's neck in joy. "Thank... thank you Ino!" she whispered. Tears were falling down her face. Ino smiled and tried to remain cool, but she couldn't hide her surprise and happiness.

"Thank you, thank you..."

"It's okay, Sakura", she smiled and patted her friend's back.

In that moment, everything felt like before.

**xxx**

Sakura kissed Ino's cheek and looked at the splendid rose in her hand. A lovingly smile graced her face and he looked at the other. "It's wonderful. You always know how to make me feel better, Ino."

"I'm glad that you liked it. Now it's time to celebrate. It's our second anniversary today!"

"No matter what happens in the future, you will always be my best friend. And as I said before, I don't care what we cannot have. As long as I have you I have everything."

Ino returned Sakura's smile. "Me too."

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><p><strong>What do you think? Please please please review :D<br>**


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